Police: Canadian woman nabbed sneaking into Harry's polo match

Greenwich Time

Staff reports

Updated 2:27 pm, Saturday, May 18, 2013

Police interview Wen Qi, left, a 36-year-old from Toronto, who they say was trying to sneak into Prince Harry s charity fundraiser at the Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, Conn., on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Police interview Wen Qi, third from left, a 36-year-old from Toronto, who they say was trying to sneak into Prince Harry s charity fundraiser at the Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, Conn., on Wednesday, May 15, 2013.

Police said a Canadian woman was caught Wednesday trying to sneak into Prince Harry's charity fundraiser at the Greenwich Polo Club.

Wen Qi, a 36-year-old from Toronto, was arrested when officers found her trespassing on private property near the Conyers Farms grounds.

Qi had been put on a watch list of potential trespassers at the request of a security agency, said police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray.

Though it's common for officers to have so-called "be on the lookout" lists for events like Wednesday's, police did not elaborate on why Qi was on it.

The polo match drew an invitation-only crowd of about 400 people, including high-profile fashion industry and entertainment figures, as well as lucky Greenwich residents and a phalanx of reporters. The event raised more than $1 million for Harry's charitable organization, Sentebale, which benefits children in the impoverished African country of Lesotho. It culminated the prince's weeklong visit to the United States.

Security was so tight at the event that First Selectman Peter Tesei, who brought a Greenwich flag for Harry, could not deliver the gift in person.

"You couldn't just go up to his table and say, `Hey, how you doing?' " Tesei said.

Tesei wound up giving the flag to an assistant of Peter Brant, the Greenwich Polo Club owner.

"I thought (Harry) would get a kick out of the seal," Tesei added, referring to the image of Gen. Israel Putnam fleeing from the British on horseback.

A message seeking comment from Brant was left with a spokeswoman for the organization.

Qi, who was charged with third-degree criminal trespassing, was held on $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear May 22 in state Superior Court in Stamford.